


There's Strength in Secrets

by emmie22



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, F/M, Friends With Benefits, Good Draco Malfoy, I'm Bad At Tagging, One-Sided Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, POV Draco Malfoy, POV Third Person, Pining Draco Malfoy, Sad Draco Malfoy, Secret Relationship, Starts in sixth year, draco is friends with the golden trio, draco is kinda posh, dramione is perfection idc, idk how this is gonna work but it is, idk what other tags to use, um, working out timetables and stuff took forever
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-29
Updated: 2020-09-30
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:08:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,714
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26720413
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emmie22/pseuds/emmie22
Summary: Draco Malfoy, the Slytherin, is friends with the Golden Trio, the Gryffindors. He and Hermione are keeping their 'more than friends' relationship a secret, and he is keeping his true feelings for her hidden from everyone. But even more than that, Draco has been given a task that he has to do, but can he do it, and lose the best friends he'll ever have? Is it worth it, even to save his own life, to save his family? Can Draco keep his secrets and do what needs to be done?I'm bad at summaries, sorry.*I'm probably not going to finish this unless I get really bored so like*
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy
Comments: 1
Kudos: 6





	There's Strength in Secrets

**Author's Note:**

> in all honesty i probably won't update this regularly, but i'm really enjoying writing it and it does have some sort of plot planned out, so hopefully there won't be too long between updates :)  
> also, i haven't read these books in years, so some stuff that i've forgotten will be based off the films until i'm out of isolation and can get the book  
> also also, there'll obviously be some lines used from the films/books that characters have canonically said bc i want to keep with the storyline as much as possible  
> okay bye

“Draco! Over here!” Draco turned and saw Hermione waving at him, a book in her hand, Ron to her right and Harry to her left.

A Slytherin. Best friends with a group of Gryffindors. Something doesn’t add up. Draco long decided he didn’t care what his house thought of that. His family on the other hand, specifically his father, he did care about. He’d been friends with Harry for 6 years. His father found out they were friends years ago when Pansy had decided she hated him. Some of his Slytherin friends had stuck with him anyway, Blaise, and Crabbe and Goyle had stuck around, but that hadn’t made his father any less disgusted about his ongoing friendship with Harry and the others.

“Alright.” Ron nodded at him as he approached the group.

“Hi mate.” Harry this time.

“Afternoon.” Draco replied.

Ron smiled, rolling his eyes. “It’s been 6 years and the fact you’re really that posh still shocks me.”

“Sit down, we’ll make some room.” Hermione pushed Harry and Ron around until there was room for Draco to sit. He smirks. The gap she made just so happened to be next to her. “Oh, don’t look at me like that, I need your help with the potions homework.” Draco rolled his eyes.

“Sure you do Granger, sure you do.” Hermione blushed.

“Shut _up_ Malfoy.” She was practically growling, and Draco loved it. Harry and Ron were looking between the two, confusion playing with their features. They were used to seeing Draco and Hermione talking now, but not quite like this. She sighed. “Just sit down.”

Draco sat, and reached for the parchment she was scribbling away on. “Well, what’s the problem? Looks like you’ve finished.” Hermione glared at him.

“Just check the ending over for me.” Draco looked down, frowning, and biting his lip. He raised his eyebrows.

_Come with me._

“That sounds fine to me.” He was trying to hold back a smirk and looked at Hermione as she blushed. Ron and Harry had lost any interest they had in the other pair’s conversation and were now playing catch with some spell Harry had learnt somewhere.

“Alright then. Well I’m going to go and put this in my room ready for later.” Hermione hit her knee gently with the parchment, and stood up to leave, picking up her quill and wand as she did.

“I’ll come with you; I have to go and give Snape something anyway.” Harry heard this and pulled a face.

“I still don’t understand how you actually like that man.” Draco rolled his eyes again, standing up.

“He likes me. I need him for some stuff. I have to like him. Easy.” He replied, and then stalked away with his head held high, not before seeing Harry and Ron look at each other, frowning.

Draco saw Hermione jogging up behind him, and he slowed down to allow the shorter girl to catch up.

They walked in silence then, from the courtyard and into the school before Draco finally gave in to his itching need to grab her hand. She jumped when he made contact with her skin, and he smiled.

“Is whatever you have to give Snape urgent?” she asked quietly.

“That depends. Do I have something better to do?”

“You do now.” Draco felt his heart flutter and mentally scolded himself. This was a no feelings, no obligations kind of thing, not a relationship. Draco pushed the thoughts away and smirked.

“Room of requirement?”

“Perfect.”

The pair made their way to the room of requirement, reluctantly pulling their hands apart in case they saw anyone, rumours spread like wildfire at Hogwarts. When they got outside, Draco paced back and fore in front of it, asking for a place he and Hermione could spend some time alone together. The door appeared and Draco pulled Hermione through it.

“Uh, Draco… I think you might’ve been thinking about what you needed a little too specifically.”

“What? What do you mean?” He turned around, looking straight to where Hermione was staring at a pack of condoms on a desk next to the door.

It was Draco’s turn to blush now. “I’m so sorry Hermione, I wasn’t really thinking about… that. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.” Hermione laughed at this.

“It’s okay, now come on.” She walked over to him, wrapping her arms round his neck, and he grabbed her legs to pick her up, moving them both towards the bed. Hermione was running her hands through Draco’s blond hair, and all he wanted to do was kiss her.

They got to the bed and he finally gave in to his impulses, kissing Hermione, his hands in her hair, her hands on his shoulders. They carried on like this for a while before Hermione rolled into Draco’s arms and fell asleep. Draco sighed, resigning himself to the knowledge that he would never get what he really wanted with the girl he was taught he should despise. Then he let his thoughts go, and fell asleep, with his hands still in Hermione’s hair.

“Draco wake up. We have to go. Oh Merlin what are we going to tell Ron and Harry?” Draco’s eyes fluttered open as he felt Hermione start to get up. He grabbed her arm and tugged her back towards him, moaning.

“’Mione no. Dimwit one and dimwit two can look after themselves a little longer.” She giggled.

“Malfoy.” She snapped, and he smirked. Draco smirked a lot, but he looked good doing it and he knew it.

“Granger.” He tightened his grip on her arm, moving his other hand round her waist.

“Come _on_ we’ve missed dinner already, and I’m starving.” Hermione hopelessly tried to wriggle away from him, and Draco raised his eyebrow, still half asleep.

“You can go to the kitchen’s later love, just stay here.” Draco opened one eye to look at her, and she shook her head violently at him. He sighed, “Alright fine. But I’m holding this against you.”

“Let’s just _go_.” The pair walked out of the room of requirement together, and Draco looked at Hermione properly for the first time since they’d woken up, and he saw her obviously ruffled hair, her swollen lips, and her creased clothes. He smiled. All him.

“Hermione, Draco. We’ve been looking for you.”

“For literally 3 hours. Where’ve you been?” Ron looked at them, and took in Hermione, and most likely Draco’s, messy look.

“Sorry, we were helping out in the kitchens. Granger here is taking her house-elf protection game back.” Draco lied so smoothly that even Hermione felt herself wondering when that happened.

“Have you seen the poor things? They work almost non-stop, and they definitely appreciated the help.” Hermione turned to look at Draco, sliding into the lie easily considering it was something she actually believed in.

“I’m sure they did love. I’m going to head up to my dorm, I’ll see you lot tomorrow. Goodnight.” Draco nodded curtly, and he saw Hermione smile. Only recently he really got over his prejudice against muggleborns (one muggleborn in particular), and it still made him uncomfortable publicly being nice to Hermione, or any other muggleborn.

“Night Malfoy.”

“G’night mate.”

“Potter.” Nod. “Weasley.” Nod. And he walked away. He could feel Hermione’s eyes on his back as he left, and he held his head higher.

When he reached the wall, he said the password and stepped through the passage into the Slytherin common room. Draco always found comfort in the darkness of the common room, the perfect amount of light filtering in from the lamps around the room, given a green tinge from the lake. He loved it.

“Malfoy, come here a minute.” Blaise Zabini’s voice rose above the chatter to call him over. He sauntered over to the small group gathered around the mantelpiece, which Draco knew his mother loved. They had a similar one at home that his mother had designed based off this one.

“Zabini. Parkinson. Bullstrode. Crabbe, Goyle.” They all got a nod too. It was his signature greeting really, he wasn’t an emotion kind of person. Harry, Ron, and Hermione hugged every time they saw each other after spending more than 5 hours apart. But then, he supposed that made sense, their near-death experiences were uncountable, they worry, but Draco didn’t like to show worry.

“Merlin Malfoy, what’ve you been doing?” Blaise’s eyes had widened, and Pansy Parkinson turned to look at Draco right as he said it, and her eyes did the opposite, narrowing sharply.

“Not to worry Miss Parkinson, no funny business with anyone else.” Draco smirked at her. He wasn’t with her, but he knew for a fact she was infatuated with him.

“Anyway, you going to Hogsmeade today?” Blaise asked, “I want to go to Honeydukes, and none of these are going.”

“Sure, I’ll come, I’ve been fancying a trip to the Three Broomsticks for a while anyway.” He replied, “I’m going to head up now. Goodnight.”

“Sleep well Draco.” Pansy batted her eyelashes at Draco, and it took all his willpower not to roll his eyes.

He walked up to his room, feeling exhausted. Getting to his bed, he saw a package there, along with a letter. Draco sighed; it had started already. He looked down at his arm, seeing the mark of a death eater, and reminded himself to never show his arms. Harry, Ron, and Hermione would hate him. He opened up the letter first, already knowing he wouldn’t like its contents, but he needed to see. His task this year was going to cause him to lose everything, but it was either that or his family dies, he couldn’t be responsible for that.

_Draco,_

_I know of your task this year. Do not open the parcel. There is a necklace inside, one that can be used to do what needs to be done. Find a way to get it to the goal. Make sure there is no way to trace it back to you, the only person who needs to know is the Dark Lord, after that your family will be back in his good graces._

Draco looked at the parcel. A murder weapon. He would do what had to be done. Because he had to. No matter what he really wanted, he would do what he had to do to keep his family safe. To make his father proud.

Getting ready for bed, Draco found himself thinking of a way to get the package to Dumbledore. The note said to make sure it wouldn’t be traced back to him, so he had to make sure to find a way to Dumbledore through someone else. By the time Draco fell asleep, he had a fully formed plan set out.

And he hated it.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Draco woke up the next morning feeling completely exhausted, not to mention starving. He got ready quickly, making sure the dark mark on his arm was completely covered up, and made his way to the Great Hall, seeing Hermione sat at the table already.

“Good morning Granger.” Draco nodded.

“Morning Malfoy.” Hermione nodded back; eyebrow raised.

“How are you on this fine day?” Hermione snorted at that, “Alright, alright, not quite that posh. Now I’m starving, shuffle up.” Hermione rolled her eyes, moving over so Draco could sit beside her. “Where are Potter and the Weasel?”

“ _Ron_ woke up late, and Harry was waiting for him last I checked. Are you going to Hogsmeade today?”

“Yeah, Blaise asked me to go with him. Are you?”

“Ron wants to go to the Three Broomsticks; Harry and I are going with him. You can join us with Blaise if you like.” Great, Draco thought, Hermione and the others would be there when he had to get rid of the necklace.

“We’ll see. What’ve you got today?”

“Ancient runes first, then I have arithmancy, charms and herbology, a free period and then transfiguration. What about you?”

“Free first, then transfiguration, runes, charms, and a free last. I’ll meet you here at lunch.”

“Draco, hi, morning Hermione.” Harry and Ron jogged over to where they were sat, sitting across from them. Ron delved into the food instantly, and Hermione scrunched up her nose. “Hogsmeade later?”

“I’m going with Blaise; I’ll meet you in the Three Broomsticks with him if I can. We’ve been through that while _you_ were waking up ridiculously late.” Draco shot a pointed look at Ron as he spoke.

“Oh yeah, sorry. I know my presence was missed.” Draco, Harry, and Hermione snorted. “Oi.”

“Sorry Weasel.”

“ _Draco_.” Hermione chastised, “You’re all free first, Ron, Harry, you’re free second as well, right?” Ron nodded, his mouth full of food. “Come to my arithmancy class, wait outside for me before charms.”

“Sure. Draco, come with us in your free? We’re going under the tree, usual place.”

“I’ll need to go and collect my potions work first; I’ll meet you there.” He shot Ron, who’s cheeks were bulging, a disgusted look, and stood up to leave. “Maybe learn some manners Ron.” Ron attempted to poke his tongue out at Draco, but in the process a chunk of bread fell out instead. Draco arched an eyebrow. “Exhibit A.” Ron waved him off, and Draco turned and walked away.

Draco was walking into the common room when he felt a hand wrap around his arm, spinning round, he was already making a grab for his wand. Feeling safe was a luxury Draco no longer had.

“Malfoy.” Draco relaxed. Snape.

“Severus. Sorry, Sir, you surprised me.”

“Come with me to my office a moment, I need to talk to you.” Draco nodded, and followed his professor to his office.

“What is it that you needed Professor?” Draco asked, stood in front of the desk as Snape sat in his seat in front of him.

“Draco… please sit down.” Draco frowned, biting his lip.

“Is something the matter Sir?”

“No, everything is fine, just take a seat.” Draco sat, still frowning. “I know about the task the Dark Lord set you this year—”

“What task?” Draco’s face slipped into a mask. Snape wasn’t to be trusted. No one was. Snape sighed, and rolled up his sleeve. Draco’s eyes widened. “You-you’re with him again? What about Dumbledore?”

“Dumbledore was a means to an end.” Snape waved a hand in the air. “Now, back to your task. Do you need any help? I know it’s hard, Albus is powerful, and he’s persuasive.”

“You know what else is persuasive? A death sentence. Which is what I get if I don’t do this. I’ve got it under control, I don’t need your _help_.” Draco sneered at the man, radiating confidence and power, but feeling like he’d lost all control over his life. “Thank you for the offer Sir, but I’m sure you’ll agree we should keep school and war separate.”

“I made an oath to your mother, an unbreakable vow. I _will_ be helping you, whether you have any knowledge of it or not.” Draco nodded stiffly and swept out of the room.

Draco instantly hunched over and ran a hand through his hair when he’d shut the office door. Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom. Draco liked Myrtle lately, she was good to talk to.

He made his way there, shoulders still slouched where he couldn’t find the energy to straighten himself up.

Draco spent the next half hour in the bathroom with Myrtle, talking to her about his problems, and hers. He didn’t think he would ever stop wishing there were something he could do to help her, but he wasn’t sure there was anything now. Too little too late, as always.

Transfiguration was painful, slow, and boring. All Draco wanted to do was be with the others, in the Three Broomsticks, having a butterbeer and laughing, as if there was no impossible task to complete, no mark on his forearm, and no Dark Lord threatening his family.

But there was and wishing for anything else was pointless.

Draco floated through the rest of his day, thinking about the parcel still in his bed, and the cabinets he’d located in Borgin and Burke’s and the Room of Requirement. When it finally came to the end of the day, he walked out of his Herbology lesson, straight to his room to get what he needed, leaving a note to tell Blaise he’d meet him in Hogsmeade.

Shivering and feeling surrounded by darkness, Draco, looking like a light shrouded in black, made his way to the Three Broomsticks with a weight in his chest.

“Madame Rosmerta?” Draco leaned over the bar, calling for the friendly barmaid.

“Oh, Mr Malfoy. You’re here early. Everything okay?”

“Yes, everything’s fine Rosmerta.” Draco took a deep breath. “I just need your help with something.” He pulled his wand out, not giving her a chance to react. “ _Imperio_. Rosmerta, I need you to take this parcel, and find a way to get it to Albus Dumbledore. You won’t tell anyone where you got it, and you will make sure not to touch it.” The blonde woman nodded at him, taking the parcel, and placing it carefully behind the bar.

“Is there anything else you need Draco?” Rosmerta smiled at him, tipping her head to the side.

“Take this, you’ll know what I need and when I need it.” Draco handed her a galleon he enchanted, similar to the ones Hermione used the year before for the DA. “And I’ll take 2 butterbeers please. And when Harry, Ron and Hermione arrive, give them their first drink each on me.” He dropped the money on the counter. “And act _normal_.” He added as he noticed the distance in her eyes, as though she wasn’t really there.

“Take a seat, I’ll bring your drinks soon.” Draco nodded and walked away with his hands in his pockets. He sat down at a table nearest the window to wait for Blaise, looking outside at the snow, and thinking about how much snow fascinated him as a child.

He was a wizard, and that was great, but nothing ever brought happiness to him as much as snow once did. He would watch it fall, either in the garden, or looking out of his bedroom window, and he’d catch snowflakes, falling in love with the uniqueness of every single one. He never had the kind of childhood where he could build snowmen, or make snow angels on the floor, so when all he could do was appreciate the beauty in something, that’s what he did.

“Draco. You there?” Draco’s head shot up, seeing Blaise in front of him.

“Yeah sorry. Let’s have a drink and then we can go to Honeydukes. I told Hermione I’d try and meant those three here later, do you want to join us?”

“Nah that’s okay, I’ll head up when we’re done in Honeydukes.” Draco nodded, and watched Madame Rosmerta make her way over to their table with two drinks in her hands.

“Thank you.”

“Thanks, Rosmerta.” Blaise smiled at her. Draco raised an eyebrow; he was sure that Blaise just did everything in the flirtiest way possible.

“So, last night.” Blaise leaned forward over his cup like he was sharing a deadly secret. “You have to fill me in, all jokes aside.” Draco smirked.

“Why would I give you that kind of satisfaction Zabini?” Blaise narrowed his eyes again.

“Because I’m your friend. And I need to know everything before everyone.”

“Not my private life.”

“ _Private_ life, huh?” Blaise waggled his eyebrows and Draco snorted.

“Are you done with your drink?” Draco saw Madame Rosmerta passing the parcel to Katie Bell, and the darkness settled back into his chest.

“Yeah, let’s go.” Blaise and Draco Walked together out of the Three Broomsticks, and Draco, seeing Harry and the others as he walked to Honeydukes, raised a hand to greet them. “That Granger girl is pretty. Is there anything going on between her and Potter or Weasley?” Draco felt anger welling up inside him, and forcefully shoved it back down. For both his and Hermione’s sake, feelings couldn’t get involved in this.

“No, but Weasley definitely has a crush on her, but the idiot can’t see it himself.” They walked into Honeydukes, Draco eyeing up the look on Blaise’s face, and not liking what he saw.

Blaise picked out everything he wanted, and Draco grabbed some chocolate. They paid, and their short trip was over.

“I’ll catch you later Zabini.” And he walked away.

Getting to the Three Broomsticks, Draco saw Harry, Ron and Hermione talking to Slughorn. He wasn’t sure how to feel about the new professor, he had favourites, and Draco wasn’t one of them.

“Draco! Sit down. Thanks for the butterbeers.”

“Yeah, thanks mate.” Ron was looking glumly at the table, while Harry was talking brightly to Slughorn about some party. Draco sat down next to Hermione and smiled.

“Want some? Fresh from Honeydukes.” He placed the chocolate he’d bought in a pile in the middle of the table, gesturing for the other three to take what they wanted.

“Oh, I better not Malfoy, an old man has to watch what he eats yes?” Slughorn laughed, and Draco physically forced himself not to arch an eyebrow watching his belly jumping with laughter. Slughorn left, promising Harry and Hermione would get an owl with an invite.

“What was all that about?” Draco asked, finally allowing his eyebrow to raise. Ron just stared at Harry, bewildered.

“Dumbledore’s asked me to get to know him.”

“Get to know him?” Ron asked incredulously.

“I don’t know,” Harry shrugged, “it must be important, if it wasn’t Dumbledore wouldn’t ask.” Ron nodded at that, and Draco held back the urge to role his eyes. Hermione took a long sip of her drink, bringing it back down and leaving foam at the top of her mouth, Draco looked at her, eyes sparkling.

“Um—got—little bit of…” Draco laughed, Ron was stuttering and motioning to show Hermione what had happened, going red as he did. Hermione wiped her mouth and blushed.

“You want the rest?” She pushed the glass towards Draco.

He leaned forward a little to take it, whispering as he did so, “don’t be embarrassed, it was cute.” He watched her fight a smile, so he sat back, satisfied, and finished off her butterbeer.


End file.
